Human Evolutionary Biology

Evolutionary theory provides a powerful framework for investigating questions about why humans are the way they are. Human evolutionary biologists are driven to understand how evolutionary forces have shaped our us -- our biology, our patterns of behavior, and our culture. Research in human evolutionary biology is increasingly influencing medical science, through the nascent field of evolutionary medicine, and other areas such as economics, linguistics, psychology, and political science.

This is an exciting time to tackle questions of how evolution made us human. Research opportunities in HEB are quite varied and may involve work in the high-tech labs in the Peabody Museum, field-based research in the rainforests of Western Uganda, or a combination of field and lab-based research.

Examples of questions in which we are interested:

Why do humans walk upright?

Are humans adapted to eating cooked food?

How does the content of a mother’s milk influence her adult offspring's health and behavior?